Two Chinese men have been jailed for falsely imprisoning fellow nationals on St Patrick's Day last year.
Shan Ying (20) was jailed for six years after the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury convicted him on three charges of false imprisonment and two further counts of demanding €500 each with menaces from two of the victims.
Yao Wang (20) was jailed for three years after being found guilty on one charge of false imprisonment. The jury acquitted him on two further abduction charges.
A third man, Wang Zeng Yu (22), was found not guilty earlier by direction of by Judge Frank O'Donnell of all the charges against him.
The jury disagreed following a total of almost seven hours deliberations on a further charge against Shan Ying of having a spike with intent to intimidate another person on the same occasion.
Judge O'Donnell recommended that the men be deported when released but said he wanted them to serve a considerable portion of their sentences here initially because he didn't want a message to be sent out to people from abroad that they can just come here, commit offences and be sent home.
The three men, with an address at Amiens Square Apartments, near the city centre, had all pleaded not guilty during the nine-day trial to the charges against them which arose out of an incident in an apartment there on March 17th, 2002.
Another Chinese man who was described as the leader of the gang, Bing Wang (32), was jailed for four terms of five years each by Judge Desmond Hogan on January 29th last after he pleaded guilty. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The jury heard that two of the victims had agreed to rent the apartment and paid a deposit. However they then changed their minds and tried to get their deposit back.
When they went to the apartment to ask for their money back, it was refused and more money was demanded from them. They were able to keep in contact with a friend they left outside and he notified the gardaí when he became concerned for their safety.